House and Senate Remain $1 Billion Apart on NOAA Budget

October 25, 2006 -- The House and Senate remain $1 billion apart on the budget for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) for fiscal year 2007.  NOAA has been operating under the House appropriations bill, which cuts the agency’s budget by over $500 million compared to FY 2006, since the new fiscal year began on October 1. 

In June, the House of Representatives passed an appropriations bill that would cut NOAA’s budget by over $500 million to $3.4 billion in FY 2007.  In a remarkable turn of events, the Senate Appropriations Committee approved a bill in July that would increase NOAA’s budget by nearly $500 million to $4.4 billion.  However, the full Senate failed to complete action on the bill before it adjourned for the elections and there was no opportunity to reconcile the $1 billion gap between the House and Senate bills.   

The fate of NOAA’s budget may be determined by a House-Senate conference committee that is charged with ironing out the differences between the two bills.  If the House and Senate were to split the difference between the two bills, then NOAA’s FY 2007 budget would be nearly the same as its FY 2006 budget. 

The House and Senate bills would protect the budget of the National Weather Service.  The House bill would slash funding for other NOAA programs, including research programs, in order to achieve $500 million in budget cuts.  In contrast, the Senate bill would provide substantial increases for NOAA research programs: 

• Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research (OAR).  The Senate bill would increase OAR funding by 26 percent to $467 million in FY 2007.  In contrast, the House bill would cut OAR funding by 11 percent to $328 million.  The Senate mark for OAR is 42 percent or $139 million above the House mark.
  • Ocean and Coastal Research.  Within OAR, the Senate bill would increase funding for Ocean and Coastal Research by 43 percent to $181 million.  The House bill would cut funding by 27 percent to $93 million.  The Senate mark for Ocean and Coastal Research is 96 percent or $88 million above the House mark. 
  • Sea Grant College Program.  The House bill would cut funding for the Sea Grant College Program by 5 percent to $52 million in FY 2007.  The Senate bill would increase funding for the Sea Grant Program by 53 percent to $84 million.  The Senate mark for the Sea Grant Program is 61 percent or $32 million above the House mark.
    
    
    
• National Ocean Service (NOS). The Senate bill would increase NOS funding by 28 percent to $631 million in FY 2007.  The House bill would cut NOS funding by 36 percent to $315 million.  The Senate mark is 100 percent or $315 million above the House mark.    
  
  
• National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS).  The Senate bill would increase NMFS funding by 22 percent to $814 million.  The House bill would cut NMFS funding by 19 percent to $539 million.  The Senate mark is 51 percent or is $275 million higher than the House mark.

Large reductions in funding for NOAA are inconsistent with the recommendations of the U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy and the Pew Oceans Commission.  The chairs of these commissions, Adm. James D. Watkins and Leon E. Panetta, issued a joint letter expressing their concern that the proposed funding cuts would be imposed at a time when there is clear recognition of the growing number and severity of problems that are compromising the health and associated economic benefits generated by our oceans, coasts, and Great Lakes. 

In recent years, the Senate has allocated more funding for NOAA than the House.  However, NOAA lost one of its major champions with the retirement of Sen. Ernest Hollings (D-SC).  It will be difficult for the Senate to prevail without a new champion for NOAA. 

Craig Schiffries, Ph.D.
Director of Science Policy
National Council for Science and the Environment
1707 H Street, NW, Suite 200
Washington, D.C. 20006
Tel: 202-530-5810
E-mail: policy@NCSEonline.org